Hot Target

Finally, though, she was in front of him, shoving that dark brown hair from her eyes. He remembered having it on his cheek, on his chest.

She tilted her head. “What’s going on, Luke? Did Noah or Josh say something wrong? I know Crawford might be a sore spot.”

“No,” he said. “Nothing at all. I don’t give a rat’s ass about Crawford.”

She frowned. “Well,” she said. “I know Noah and Josh were talking a lot of trash to each other, but—”

“I know they’re good at their jobs,” he said. “I can tell.”

“Is that what this is about? The job thing again?”

“No,” he answered. He inhaled a heavy breath, considered avoiding a direct response, but he’d learned enough about Katie in the short time he’d known her to realize that wouldn’t fly. “Look. I’m feeling claustrophobic by the extra security.”

“They’ll only be here a couple of days. We just need to do everything possible to end this mess before your season starts. They can help me do that.”

He motioned to the pizza. “Let me put this down.” He inclined his head toward his room and didn’t give her time to object.

Luke walked into the room, glancing around, seeing it as she might. The truth was, he was a simple guy, without any time or desire to go furniture shopping. The room matched the guest suite. A sleigh bed, navy-blue comforter, same dressers and nightstands. But there were no flowers, no fuss. Luke set his plate on the nightstand, the drink on a coaster.

Katie followed him inside and shut the door, and he watched as she turned toward the picture that consumed the entire wall to his left. His favorite painting of Nolan Ryan, throwing a fastball. “The best pitcher that ever lived,” he said.

She cut him a sideways glance. “I thought you were.”

Luke scoffed, sitting down on the bed, his gaze skimming her slender figure, a memory of holding her, of being inside her washing over him. Unbidden, despite his less than stellar mood, his cock twitched. He forced aside the more primal tendencies Katie drew from him and refocused on the picture.

“You’re amazing,” she said. “To be that good and that grounded.” She crossed to the bed and sat down facing him, scooted far enough back on the mattress to stretch out her leg, as if she were completely comfortable in his room, on his bed. And remarkably, he was, too. “There aren’t many people who that can be said about.” Katie rolled her eyes. “Lord only knows I’ve been around my share of arrogance. Success breeds it like rabbits.”

“Sometimes fear of failure breeds arrogance,” he added, repeating what he’d thought to himself at the table. “Once you allow self-doubt, you allow failure.”

Katie studied him, those brown eyes brimming with speculation. “What’s on your mind, Luke?”

“You’ve read my press.”

“A lot of it,” she agreed. “Yes.”

“So you know there’s speculation about my game,” he said. “About all the crap I went through this past year affecting my pitching.”

She gave a slow incline of her head. “I did, but honestly I didn’t give it that much thought. Not after you seemed so confident about your ‘hot zone,’ as you called it.” She sat up a bit, seeming intent on getting her point across. “If you’re worried about more press speculation concerning this stalker, I promise you I am doing everything in my power to make sure it doesn’t leak. I trust Noah and Josh, but they will be gone once you’re on the road. We’ll keep this all low-key, between you and me.”

“It’s not that,” he said. “I know I swore none of this was getting to me, and I believed it. But tonight, your staff is here, staying in my home, about to take it over. It’s not just you anymore, a woman I have a personal interest in. It made me realize this stalker situation has taken over my life. That means it can take over my game.”

Katie slid up close to him and climbed on his lap.

“Your knee,” he objected.

“Is fine,” she said, sliding her arms around his neck. “And so are you. I’ll make sure of it.”

Luke froze, and the absolute panic forming inside him over his game slid away. He was hot and hard, but his heart was soft, melting like butter. Katie made him feel as if she was talking to the man, not the baseball player. He’d never had a woman reach him on that level.

Luke rolled her on her back and slid on top of her. And with her breathless pleas and wet heat surrounding him, for now, at least, everything was better.

9

NEAR TWO O’CLOCK the next day, Luke walked to the passenger side door of his truck in front of the coach’s house to help Katie get out. “I can do it, Luke,” she said, the minute he opened the door.